


Ancient Earth Traditions

by ami_ven



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Community: writerverse, Family Reunions, Friendship, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25762099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: “This is where your cousin lives?”
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 9
Kudos: 90





	Ancient Earth Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ community "writerverse" phase 27 challenge 02 reunion

The glow of the transporter faded and Jim blinked at the small wooden room they found themselves standing in.

“This is where your cousin lives?” he asked.

Spock bent to take his suitcase from the pad behind them, then stepped from the platform. “The residents of this area prefer to use a central transporter station, rather than having individual units in their homes. My cousin lives just over a kilometer from here. I had planned for us to walk, but we could—”

“No, we can walk,” said Jim, grabbing his duffel bag as he followed Spock out of the station.

The door opened out onto a long tree-lined road, and Jim let Spock take the lead, just enjoying the scenery. Smaller paths, some paved and some plain dirt, led off the main road, and after they had walked for some time, Spock turned onto one of them. Soon, Jim could see buildings in the distance – a two-story log cabin and several outbuildings, beside a crystal blue pond, surrounded by trees. The trees came up almost to the house, but awnings had been set up between them, where about twenty humans were gathered.

An older woman glanced up as they approached, and broke into a grin. “Spock!” she cried, delighted, hurrying to meet them. “Oh, I’m so glad you could come this year.” She hugged him, then pulled quickly away. “I’m sorry, I know, you don’t like ‘displays of unnecessary human affection’, but since your mother…”

“In this instance, I will allow you to express your emotions physically, Cousin Gail.”

“Then you’d better get used to it – I just got to you first,” she said. “But who’s this you’ve brought with you?”

“Cousin Gail, this is my friend and commanding officer, James Kirk. Captain, this is Gail Grayson, first cousin to my maternal grandfather.”

“Jim, please,” he said, holding out his hand.

She slipped around it to pull him in for a hug, as well. “Spock’s never brought anyone before,” said Gail. “You must be special.”

“I like to think so,” Jim replied, with a charming smile.

Gail returned it, then said, “Come on, then, you can leave your bags in the chicken coop, and—”

“Chicken coop?” repeated Jim.

She laughed. “It hasn’t been that in a hundred years. It’s a nice little apartment – you _are_ both staying here, aren’t you?”

“We are grateful for your hospitality, Cousin Gail,” said Spock. 

“Right this way, then.” She directed them through the trees to a small building, as well-kept as the cabin, but they didn’t get much chance to look around as Gail redirected them back toward the rest of the people under the awnings.

“Who’re you?” asked a boy, racing up to them.

“I am Spock. And you are Samuel. My mother and your grandfather were first cousins, which makes us second cousins once removed.”

“Okay,” said Samuel, and raced off again.

Jim lost track of the introductions after that, cousins of all kinds, but every one of them welcomed him as family. Finally, he found himself at one end of a picnic table, full of actual homemade food and listening to the buzz of conversations going on around him.

Someone sat beside him, and Jim looked up to see Spock settle onto the other end of the picnic bench. “Oh, hey.”

“I apologize for not remaining with you more often,” said Spock.

“What? No, your family wants to see _you_ , Spock.”

“Regardless…”

“I’ve been fine on my own,” Jim insisted. “Your cousins are awesome. One of the little ones, Emma, was telling me all about the stables her parents run. And she made sure I had one of Linda’s cookies – they’re really good, did you have one?”

“I did not,” said Spock.

He still sounded off, so Jim reached over to touch his sleeve, briefly. “Linda said they have this reunion every year. When was the last time you came to one?”

“It has been some time,” his first officer admitted. “My mother never missed it.”

“Seems like that’s a reason for you to come more often.”

“Perhaps I will. Especially if you accompany me.”

Jim ducked his head. “If your family doesn’t mind.”

“Quite the opposite,” said Spock. “They have all spoken highly of you, and indeed requested that I extend an indefinite invitation for you to return, with or without me.”

“That’s sweet of them. But it wouldn’t be any fun without you.”

“Once again, captain, your version of ‘fun’ appears vastly different than mine.”

Jim grinned. “You tellin’ me you know how to have fun, Spock?

“Not all types of fun must involve explosions,” Spock said, dryly. “And it appears that Cousin Larry has begun laying the fire, so you can help me with a tradition of my mother’s.”

“Yeah?” said Jim. “What are we doing?”

“Remain here a moment.”

Impatiently, Jim waited until Spock had ducked into the little chicken coop apartment they were sharing and returned with the small bag he’d brought along with his suitcase. Jim hurried after him as he made his way over to the now-burning fire, “What’s that?”

“There is an ancient Earth tradition,” said Spock, “involving a dessert prepared in open flame. I replicated the ingredients before we left the _Enterprise_.”

“Ingredients?” Jim repeated, and gave into the urge to peer into the bag. “Chocolate, crackers, and… what are these?”

“Marsh melons,” said Spock. 

“Marsh _mallows_ ,” chuckled Larry.

Spock arched an eyebrow. “That explains much.”

“Your mom sure did love her s’mores,” Larry added.

Jim frowned. “S’mores?”

“A dessert of toasted marsh _mallows_ and chocolate,” said Spock, “served between two pieces of graham cracker. My mother brought the ingredients each year.”

“Toasted?” Jim repeated. “In the fire?”

“There is a particular technique,” said Spock. “Cousin Larry, have you prepared the utensils?”

“Yep,” the older man said. “Come sit by the fire, Jim, we’ll show you how it’s done.”

Jim took one of the ‘utensils’ he held out, a blunt-ish metal stick with a wooden handle, and settled beside Spock on the grass around the fire. By the time Spock had shown him how to spear the marshmallow onto the stick, then hold it over the fire until it was gooey, the children had realized what they were doing and gathered around, too.

Jim retreated to one of the sturdy wooden chairs a little farther back, with his last s’more melting in his fingers, and watched Spock patiently teach the same thing to his little cousins.

He really hoped he could convince Spock to let him come with him again next year.

THE END


End file.
